Tag Archives: Augusta National Golf Club

By John Grgurich – Can one of America‘s reigning corporate titans — a company that has miraculously remade its name as a progressive, forward-looking organization — let its brand-new CEO be publicly snubbed with no bold response or defense of any kind?

Arguably, IBM wouldn’t even be where it is today if it weren’t for Rometty.

By Lawrence Donegan – How on earth could the club promote ”growth” while at the same time denying half of the world’s population the opportunity to become members? ”That is a membership issue and I’m not going to … thank you for your question, sir,” the club chairman replied.

The issue was not Augusta National‘s membership policies, but its hypocrisy. Augusta club’s chairman, Billy Payne is a powerful man who is unused to being confronted by such uncomfortable truths, especially in the comfort of his own exclusive club. But since Wednesday’s (Apr 4, 2012) press conference the mood music had started to change, and not just because of the presidential intervention. more> http://tinyurl.com/6sopjvl

The company’s CEO traditionally dons the club’s signature green member blazer at the tournament, as do the CEOs of co- sponsors Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and AT&T Inc. (T) IBM will have to decide whether to keep spending the money if its CEO lacks equal status with other sponsors.

“All issues of membership remain the private deliberations of the membership. That statement remains accurate,” Payne said in response to questions about reconsidering female membership. “We don’t talk about our private deliberations. We especially don’t talk about them when a named candidate is part of the question.”

That leaves IBM, which promoted Rometty to CEO in January, with a dilemma: Should it pressure the near 80-year-old club to change its gender policies or, if it can’t do that, should it withdraw its tournament sponsorship? more> http://is.gd/lCP5Aj

As Augusta National Golf Club prepares to host the competition next week, it faces a quandary: The club hasn’t admitted a woman as a member since its founding eight decades ago, yet it has historically invited the chief executive officer of IBM, one of three Masters sponsors. Since the company named Rometty to the post this year, Augusta will have to break tradition either way.

IBM holds a rarefied position at the Augusta, Georgia, course. The company has a hospitality cabin near the 10th hole, beside co-sponsors Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and AT&T Inc. (T) The companies’ male CEOs have been able to don the club’s signature green member blazers while hosting clients. Non-members, who don’t wear the jackets, must be accompanied by a member to visit the course or play a round. more> http://is.gd/yG00MR